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counseling services
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client rights and responsibilities
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CONFIDENTIALITY
The counseling relationship is confidential, which means your counselor will not
discuss or release any information regarding your case without your written
consent. The exceptions to this are as follows:
State law and professional ethical standards allow for the following:
If a record is court ordered by a proper authority.
If there is suspected or confirmed abuse of children or vulnerable adults.
Counseling Services policy allows for the following:
Sharing of counseling session attendance with University administrators and/or
faculty, when the sharing of this information is consistent with serving the
best interest of the client. Counselors will use their discretion and
use this privilege sparingly.
Students who are mandated or on contract due to discipline, drug/alcohol
violations, academic, or medical reasons agree to have session attendance and
recommendations released to a designated University official or outside
medical professional.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Counseling is most effective when the counselor and client are equally invested
in the change process.
Being open and honest about your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
Working during and between sessions; reflecting on session content and
completing homework are important parts of the counseling process.
Providing information about past/ present concerns (psychological and
physiological) including medications, hospitalizations, and treatment.
Keeping scheduled appointments punctually and regularly.
The
COUNSELOR accepts responsibility for the following:
Treating clients with care, respect, and dignity.
Being open and honest about treatment techniques, goals, and procedures.
Seeking consultation with other members of the counseling staff.
Referring or terminating a client when necessary and appropriate, only after
discussing the reasons with the client.
RECORDS
Counseling staff members are required by law to maintain professional
documentation of counseling sessions. Records are maintained in a secure
location with only authorized staff having access. Records cannot be
released outside the office without your written consent. All records are
private and confidential, and are not part of your academic transcript.
Outside agencies and University personnel will not have access to your
counseling records without your written consent. You have a right to have
a copy of your file. To obtain one, schedule an appointment with a
counselor or Director of Counseling Services to discuss your request and review
the contents of the file. You must submit a written request at the time of
the appointment and allow 1-3 days for the copy to be made.
COUNSELOR TRAINING
The counselors at Counseling Services have a broad range of training and
experience which allows them to provide counseling using a variety of counseling
techniques. You have the right to know about your counselor’s education,
training, and specialty areas. The professional staff are either licensed and/or
certified counselors. We encourage you to talk to your counselor about
his/her background. If you choose, you may request a specific counselor.
Graduate students in counseling psychology complete one to two semesters of
internship training in Counseling Services and are provided supervision by the
professional counseling staff. As part of professional development, the
staff meets once a week for supervision and consultation on current cases.
All information shared at the meetings is confidential.
COUNSELING RISK/BENEFIT
Choosing to process your interpersonal concerns brings with it certain emotional
risks. Processing hidden feelings and thoughts may cause emotional
discomfort and painful feelings. This is a necessary step in processing your
feelings, thoughts, and behaviors.
Trying to decide what it is that you “need to do” and “need to stop doing” in
order to manage your life can be challenging and evoke feelings of fear and
anxiety. Changing behaviors, thoughts and feelings can be disruptive to
relationships with family, significant others, and friends. Others may
challenge you to stay the same while you are investing in changing the way you
live. The counselor-client relationship may evoke positive and negative
emotions. You are encouraged to discuss your feelings about the counseling
relationship with your counselor.
Whatever the risk, you need to decide if the benefit of exploring your concerns
outweighs the risk. Most students who decide to accept the risks of
counseling find that it is helpful and that the feelings generated by the
counseling process are ones that need to be addressed in order to discover
healthier ways to deal with their concerns.
It can be easy to quit when the emotions intensify and you are challenged to be
different, but we encourage you to stick with the counseling process even though
it is difficult. Working through the difficult times can help you to
develop new ways of dealing with old concerns.
You have the right to refuse or follow any recommendations made by the
counselor, except in emergency situations, or if you are on a contract specified
by Student Living, a physician, or Dean. Refusal in these cases may prompt
consequences based on the nature of the contract.
APPOINTMENTS
All appointments are scheduled by the receptionist at the front desk (871-7680).
Counseling sessions run 50 minutes. If for any reason you are late, the
session will end at the scheduled time. To cancel/reschedule an
appointment please call at least 24 hours in advance.
GRIEVANCES
We encourage you to discuss any concerns you have with your counselor. If
for any reason you are dissatisfied with the service, concerned that your
counselor is unwilling to listen or respond, or if you believe you have been
treated unethically, you may discuss it with your counselor, or James Finegan,
Director of Counseling Services, or Ward McCracken, Dean of Student Development.
Return to Counseling Services
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